Southport, North Carolina
by Knock.You.Down
Summary: When the candle of hope is almost completely burned. Will there come a reason to light a new one? Will hope ever return with new dreams or is the sky forever clouded, and above off all will love blind us enough to stop looking over our shoulder. [ ALL H. ExB, OOC]
1. Prologue

_Hello there,_

_Welcome to my first and new story!_

_Thank you **Svaler**_ _for beta'ing this story and giving it shine, otherwise the preface may have looked like a casual jog!  
All mistake's are mine._

_The characters and Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer._

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**Preface:**

_Run, run faster, faster, running, keep moving._

I pushed my feet as fast as I could while I tried to get away; I needed to get away. Away from that place.

My breath came rapidly and I could hear the blood as it rushed in my ears. My footsteps sounded louder with every step I took. Moving my head from side to side my eyes scanning the trees afraid they would actually see 'them'. Fear almost swallowing me whole, trying to choke me. I couldn't give up though, not now.

A branch cracked beneath my bare feet, the sound threw me off guard and for a second, I lost my concentration on not falling. I felt the panic rise, my eyes searching even faster even though I moved downwards.

Just before my nose could touch the fallen leaves I stretched out my arms to catch myself.

I ignored the burning sensations on my palms as I quickly got up and started running again, despite my tired legs. There was no time to check on the damage.

After what seems like hours I stopped at the edge of a forest, a small pond slightly hidden by some trees. I walked towards it; instead of the hasty run I walked slowly. When I reached the edge I looked at the water, as far as I could see the water was clear and clean. I kneeled down at the edge and scooped some of the water with my hand so I could drink some.

After I had swallowed some I made myself stand. Watching my surroundings I saw some mountaintops peaking over the trees.

I looked around again, this time watching the tree line closely, making sure no one was watching me. I slowly kneeled down again, just enough so I could splash some of the fresh water onto my arms and then my face, washing away some of the dirt, tears and dried blood.

My clothes were a mess, my hair was tied in knots, but at least most of the blood and dirt wasn't sticking on my skin anymore. I longed for a hot shower, and some strong painkiller. I longed for a place which I could call my home.

When I stretched my legs a movement in the corner of my eye caught my attention. I turned around as fast as I could. Almost tripping in the process.

In front of my stood one of the few true monsters, one that came straight from hell.

"Hello Isabella" he said with an icy voice, and terror shoot through me.

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_Hope you enjoyed this little Preface, leave a review if you feel like it they are very much __appreciated!_

_Hugsss_


	2. Chapter 1 - Starting over

_Hello there,_

_Thank you **Svaler**_ _for beta'ing this story and giving it glitters!_

_The characters and Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer._

* * *

**Chapter 1 - Starting over **

**September 2006 **

_Excitedly I looked down at the first test of the new school year. I couldn't wait to show it to my daddy. I always had good grades but normally they would get stuck around the B. But today I got my first A. _

_The year couldn't start any better; I got an A on my 10__th__ birthday._

_When the bell rang, I got up as quickly as I could without falling over. I looked around the classroom to find Elena just putting her stuff away in her backpack. _

_I walked as fast as I could towards her to talk to her_._ "How did you do on your test?" I asked her, the excitement clear in my voice. _

_She looked up from her backpack and smiled broadly at me. "I got a B+. How did you do?" She looked curiously at me. _

_"I got my first A." And when I said it I signed softly. "I can't wait to show my daddy, he will be so happy." Even as I spoke, the words sounded foreign to me. I really hoped he would be happy; it was the first time I had gotten such an high grade. _

_Elena seemed happy for me as we walked out of the classroom together. We talked about everything and nothing at the same time, but I could tell someone was on Elena's mind as she shifted and moved to speak. _

_"Soooo Bella," she said, making the 'o' sound ten times longer than it needed to be, "you have a crush?" she accused. _

_I felt my cheeks start to get warm; the blood made them red. How did Elena know? Feeling slightly uneasy about the sudden accusation I fumbled a bit around with the hem of the jumper I wore. "I do not," I stammered while avoiding looking at Elena. _

_Elena giggled. "It's Caleb isn't it?" she said in a rush. "I see how you glance his way," and she wiggled her eyebrows. _

_I kept silent, not really trusting my voice. Slightly embarrassed, I lifted my head to look at Elena. "W-well," I stammered. "I just really like his hair, the way it has that little end always sticking up." The embarrassment was spreading through me like a warm fire. _

_"It's okay Bella, I won't tell anyone," she assured me before she stopped walking. We had arrived at my street. _

_"I'm pretty sure he likes you too." And a big grin crossed her face. "This is so exciting," she squealed. "Are you going to write him a letter? Or make him a card, you should define-" She stopped mid sentence with her little ramble eyes slightly wide as if she just realized something. _

_I stared at her. Trying to figure out why she would behave this way all so sudden. _

_"It's okay, I don't know what to do. A cart sounds nice though." I smiled at her. _

_Elena nodded before she gave me a quick hug. "I will see you tomorrow," she said. _

_"Of course, don't forget your homework!" I reminded her as I stepped back._

_"Never," Elena answers dramatically. "Mister Dawson will have our buts if we don't have anything to show." _

_I nodded, knowing that she was right. I turned around then, waving at Elena before walking down the street. _

_Mister Dawson was our teacher. He could be nice and such but he was very strict as well, especially if it was about homework. _

_As my house came closer I walked a little slower, nerves making my stomach feel weak. _

_I just really hoped daddy was in a good mood. _

_Without his beer. _

_I let my feet drag me toward the house. My shoulders dropped a little bit further with each step. _

_As I approached the front door, I glared at it debating whether or not I really wanted to go inside. I searched through my backpack for the keys. With nerves in my stomach I opened the door while coaching myself. "He will be proud Bella." _

_Making as little noise as possible I walked through the hall. I let the backpack fall silently in one of my hands before putting it on the stairs. I did the same with my coat and shoes. I searched through my bag for my lunch box and my test and eventually made my way into the small living room._

_When I reached the door I peeked around the corner, I tried to look into the living room, but I couldn't see dad. _

_I counted till five before stepping through the door. Slowly I walked toward the kitchen. When I put my lunchbox down and turned around, I bumped into someone. _

_A high-pitched screech left my mouth when I saw it was dad. _

_"Hi daddy," I murmured._

_He looked at me, his eyes unfocused, and mouth slightly open._

_When he started to talk his words were slurring. It wasn't something unusual, it happened a lot since mom died two years ago. There had been a lot of changes at home, very few I liked. _

_"Isabella," he grunted. "You are home early." He looked at me, his eyes trying to focus but I didn't think it worked very well. _

_"I'm right on time daddy, it's four o'clock already," I answered softly; daddy didn't like it when I spoke loudly. _

_"Oh it is," he slurred with surprise while he looked around for a clock to verify what I just said._

_I simply nodded. He shrugged and scanned me until he saw the paper in my hand._ _"What is that?" he asked, his words more a slur than a sentence._

_I held the paper up, showing him the grade I got. "It's an English test we had last week," I answered him slightly bouncing from excitement. "Look I got an A." _

_"Since when do you get such grades," he barked, while turning slightly purple. _

_My smile dropped fast and I shifted slowly back and fort feeling uncomfortable. "I studied real hard daddy, I wanted to make you proud," I answered quietly. _

_I was still looking down when I felt it. The sting of his hand, the one that had come in contact with my cheek. Automatically I reached my hand up to grab it. _

_"You aren't making me proud, girl," his voice thundered. "You're trying to be a smart girl," he screamed, all signs of his slur gone. "You can't be smart." His finger pointed at me. "You are a worthless little bitch, eating all my food." _

_I blinked furiously with my eyes, trying to keep the tears at bay. Daddy hated tears, even more so than he hated me. I tried to tune the sound of his screaming out. I tried ignoring everything he said. Some part of me knew that he didn't mean it. Or at least, I hoped for it. Sometimes dad was nice to me and every day after school I hoped for that. In the weekends, if I didn't bother him throughout the day, he would sometimes cook us fish, which he caught. Dad was really good at fishing. He could catch fish almost as big as my arm. _

_But now, right now I felt like he didn't care for me at all. Why would he scream at me and call me mean names? What did I do wrong? I didn't eat all his food, I ate everything he gave me, never more. _

_He would sometimes say 'Do you have any idea how much beer costs?'. Maybe he didn't have a lot of money. Maybe I needed to eat less. Maybe I needed to get lower grades, to make him happy again._

_"Just leave, go! I can't stand to look at you right now. You're good for nothing, you hear me, nothing!"_

_I turned around quickly and ran to my room, letting myself fall on my bed slowly letting the tears flow. Because of my tears I didn't hear Charlie come in. If I had, I could have defended myself in some sort of way. _

_Why did today have to be so horrible? I got my best grade for the first time ever! I just wanted daddy to be nice to me._

_Because of my loud sobbing I didn't hear daddy come in. If I had, I could have defended myself in some sort of way. _

_I felt it then. His hands gripped my arms fiercely, making me stand. "Take your shirt off," he commanded. I knew what was coming next. I saw the belt on my bed. Shuddering I took off my shirt and turned around slowly. He pushed me onto the bed so my bare back was facing him. _

_He picked up his belt and started to hit me. With each strike, he slammed harder onto my back. Tears started to flow again and I closed my eyes. _

_I hid my face in my pillow again. Happy birthday Bella, I told myself, never saying the words out loud. _

X

With a loud thud I fell out of the bed, waking up with feelings of fright. I looked around me as fast as I could, back and forth. While I did so, I moved my hands toward my back. I could feel the burning pain, even though it hadn't been real. It was just a horrible dream. I tried to take deep slow breaths, in an attempt not to wake Carmen.

Carmen was a middle-aged woman, who lived with her husband in South Port, North Carolina. She and her husband Eleazar had taken me in when I left _that_ place. They had been kind enough to let me stay, taking care of me.

I started pacing in the small bedroom. Those days were over. I wasn't supposed to relive them at night. I was done with that, even though my head had other thoughts about that. My mind was still showing me the same cruel events of the past, like it didn't even matter that it had taken place almost nine years ago.

A soft knock on the door made me stop. Slowly I turned towards the door. "Come in," I murmured, loud enough so the person on the other end of the door would still be able to hear me.

I waited while the door opened. Carmen's head peaked around the corner. She furrowed her eyebrows as she saw me standing in the middle of the room.

"Are you okay, Bella?" she asked softly, looking at me with worried eyes.

I nodded and replied, "Just a bad dream."

Carmen stared at me; her brown eyes pierced themselves into my own. I swallowed, trying to avoid her stare.

My mom once told me how my eyes could betray any lie I said, like my mouth said one thing, but my eyes said another. Each time I told a lie about either misbehaving, or a grade at school, mom would instantly know if I were telling the truth. At the young age of just six years old, I thought she was a witch who used a special spell to figure out the truth.

I still remembered, not long before she died, how I had been crying and angry at my own eyes. It was totally silly, but that day she told me something, which I would never forget.

_"I hate them," I screamed. "I hate them! I wish I didn't have them. I wish I had other eyes!"_

_Mommy was angry with me because I pulled Kyra's ponytail, but she kept calling me names! So I pulled her ponytail real hard and she cried and told the teacher, and then the teacher told mommy about what I had done. When we got home, and mommy asked me if this was true, I denied it._

_"Bella, don't lie to me," she had said. "I can see it in your eyes that you're lying."_

_But now, she smiled and shook her head._

_"Sweetie, there's nothing wrong with you eyes. Don't hate them. You're eyes are the best."_

_I shook my head, still crying. "No. You always say that you know everything because of my eyes. I can never have secrets."_

_"Oh, so you want to have secrets?" she said jokily, bending through her knees. She wiped my tears away with her sleeve._

_I nodded quickly._

_"But why, Bella? Secrets aren't fun. I hate secrets."_

_"You do?" I asked in surprise._

_"Oh, yes, Bella! Secrets are horrible. Be glad with your eyes. They always tell the truth. And I love all of you and your honest big, brown eyes."_

_She gave a kiss on each of my eyelids and got back on her feet again._

_"So, secrets are bad?" I asked._

_Mommy nodded quickly and hard. "Definitely."_

I wanted to be mad at her, but I couldn't. That day she told me repeatedly that secrets were bad and that she hated them. The fact that she had kept her illness a secret from me, while hating secrets, meant that she really did it to protect me from the horrors that a child would go through if she knew that her mother would soon die.

Mom was a happy, good person. She always made sure that I was a happy kid, and at that she excelled. In my first eight years when I still had her in my life, I was so happy. I loved to see her smile whenever I brought her flowers that I had sneakily picked out of someone's garden. Of course, she didn't know where those flowers came from.

But that happiness crushed when she died. She never prepared me anyhow. She knew about her illness, but she made a choice not to tell me.

She passed away when I was eight. I remembered how I hated losing her. It was unexpected and I was in a strange state of shock for days. The impact was big on both Charlie and me, but it changed Charlie completely. He started drinking too much, he would curse at nobody in particular; sometimes he even threw plates and cups on the ground out of anger.

When mom was still alive, Charlie never hurt me. He was a good father. But when mom died, he was hurt too much. That pain eventually turned him into a monster. At first, he would give me my basic needs, but I remembered how he never came by my bedroom anymore to tuck me in and kiss me goodnight. He fed me, clothed me and helped me get up in the morning to go to school, but slowly those few deeds faded away into nothing. There was a small period where he completely ignored me. I would try to talk to him, make him happy again, but he would always grumble to leave, because I was blocking the television.

Exactly one year after mom's death, I had picked a beer bottle in the evening and brought it to dad.

"Please, daddy, why won't you ever talk to me anymore?" I had said. "It's been a year since mommy died."

He had glanced at me angrily, and when saw the beer in my hand, he had screamed, "What are you doing with that bottle?"

"Nothing, daddy," I had said, looking at him anxiously. "I brought it for you."

"For me? You wanted to drink that, didn't you?"

He had gotten off the couch and yanked that bottle out of my tiny hands. The sharp edge of the cap had scratched against the palm of my hand.

I hadn't seen it coming, but I remembered how my head jerked to the right and how I stumbled to the ground, because of the impact of his slap on my cheeks. I still remembered clearly how I kept staring at the ground with wide eyes, which instantly filled with tears. My cheek was aching, burning and tingling.

That day Charlie didn't believe me for the first time. And he hit me for the first time.

I couldn't remember a thing after that, except that I was crying in bed.

"You lied to me, mommy," I had whispered while staring at my stuffed bunny. "You said my eyes always speak the truth. But why didn't daddy believe me then?"

Thinking back of those times made my eyes sting a little, because it made me wonder how people could turn their backs on the ones they loved.

"They will pass Carmen, it's okay." I smiled, even though I didn't believe it myself.

Carmen nodded before her eyes turned soft again.

"Do you want a cup of tea?" she asked me. I bit softly on my lip. I loved tea, but couldn't accept it from Carmen. She had already given me so much and I couldn't give her anything in return.

"It isn't a bother, Bella," she said as if she could read my mind. Carmen walked towards the living room and I followed her.

Carefully I let myself drop on the couch while I watched as Carmen made the tea. I thought back about that dream.

It felt so real.

Those emotions, created against my own will, were still tangible. It hurt too much and I tried to not think about it anymore. Instead I forced my eyes on Carmen, as she poured water in two cups.

"You liked strawberry tea, right? Or peach? This morning, I bought a really funny tea flavor. It's called strawberry cupcake." She showed me the box and scowled at it. "I wonder if it really tastes like strawberry cupcake."

I couldn't help but smile, however small but genuine, at her silly worry. "Let's try it," I said.

She nodded and came with two cups of steaming hot tea, specially flavored.

"I'm sorry I woke you up," I apologized softly, no louder than a whisper. Carmen looked at me with concern.

"Don't worry Bella," she brushed off. I smiled, grateful that Carmen hasn't asked me any questions yet. If she did, I wasn't sure how to answer them.

Carmen has a pretty big and good heart, I had stated.

I started to get lost in my memories again. They were taking me back to my dream, but also the happy years. The early years of my life when my mother still lived.

I felt a pair of eyes on me. The curiosity was radiating from those eyes.

I shook my head to get my thoughts straight and leaned forward toward the table. I picked up my mug with tea and re-positioned myself on the couch.

But, I knew secrets wouldn't stay secrets for long. When Carmen took me in, as awkward as it was, I knew she would eventually figure out the truth. The fading bruises and raw scars on my sides and back were easy to hide, but the scratches and cuts on arms and the nape of my neck weren't quite so easy.

When I came to Southport with Carmen and Eleazar I had nothing more than the clothes I was wearing, I wasn't expecting much. After everything I had witnessed and been through it was hard to keep faith in humanity.

But they had proven me wrong, having a bigger hart than anyone I knew.

We drank in silence before bidding each other a good night.

As I lay down in bed, I hoped with all my might to have a good dream instead, or even no dreams at all. The complete darkness was better then any nightmare that I could see.

**X **

I woke up pretty early. The dreams hadn't returned that night for which I was grateful. I listened, trying to figure out if Carmen was up already. When I didn't hear anything I rolled out of bed.

I didn't bother putting anything over my short nightdress before walking straight to the kitchen.

I filled the kettle with water and placed bread in the toaster. Out of the fridge, I grabbed some butter and jelly and waited.

The water still had to boil. The bread was still getting roasted. I sighed softly and glanced around the house. The kitchen had an open connection with the living room. There was a low wall where the dining room table was placed against, but not quite high enough to look over it if you sat down

I turned slightly looking at the wall on the other side. Picture frames hung neatly next to each other in a symmetric pattern. I stepped a bit closer, looking more closely at the details.

The centered picture was a wedding photo of Carmen and Eleazar, but around that picture, there where so many captured moments of their happy times.

I smiled softly, but couldn't help myself to swallow hard as a lump had gotten in my throat. They looked so happy, with bright eyes and big grins on every photo. I could see that they loved to travel, because the scenery on so many pictures was different.

A hollow feeling made place in my stomach, and I secretly wished I hadn't seen the photos. The feeling of longing and having a place in a family crept through me.

Of course I recognized Carmen and Eleazar's face in most of them, even as some of their pictures were of their younger years surrounded by several children, in other pictures the children had grown up a lot.

A handsome young man with bronze like hair and piercing green eyes smiled widely at the camera while one of his arms hung loosely around the shoulders of an other young man who had been kind to me since the moment I met him. The first time he saw me, he had scowled. I had scowled right at him. But Carmen had scolded him, telling him not to stare at me rudely and to go and introduce him to me. He had extended his hand to me and waited for me to take it. His hand had gripped mine tightly, and mine just remained loose in his.

"Hello," he had said, "I'm Emmett. Carmen and Eleazar are my aunt and uncle."

"Bella," I had muttered.

"You're Bella?" he had asked in surprise.

I tried pulling my hand out of his, but he had held tightly onto me. My internal thoughts had been screaming angrily.

Let me go!

"Yeah, Carmen told me about you," he had said, nodding.

I remembered laughing nervously and nearly yanking my hand out of his.

Stepping away from those pictures, I pulled my bread out of the toaster. I was about to butter my toast, when I heard a knock on the door.

Startled I looked up, dropping the knife and hearing it drop to the ground. I cursed at myself as the stranger behind the door could have heard that. I stood shocked in place as fear washed over me like a big wave.

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_Hope you enjoyed this chapter, leave a review if you feel like it they are very much __appreciated!_

_Hugsss xoxo_


	3. Chapter 2 - Early Encounter

_Hello again,_

_Thank you **Svaler**_ _for beta'ing this story and giving it the extra glamour!_

_The characters and Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer._

* * *

**Chapter 2 – Early encounter**

I looked at the door, nibbling softly at my bottom lip. Even breathing became hard as the fear spread through me.

I shook my head, shaking _them_ out of my head. Clearing the thoughts which had started to creep in. I knew it could never be _them_, or at least I hopped. They, the people were responsible for a lot of shit.

The moment they vanished I looked around the kitchen. Not seeing anything to cover myself with, I walked towards the bathroom in the hall. I pulled a bathrobe from its place and covered myself with it. While trying to tie the middle I failed twice because of my shaking hands.

I walked back towards the front door and walked straight against to corner of the table with my tight. Damn it, why did I have to be so clumsy that table stood there last night and the day before even a month ago probably. The pain caused me to jump up and down to get a rid of it. I bit the inside of my cheek hard to keep myself from making any sounds before putting on a poker face.

There was another knock - it was slightly weird everyone knocked. I had to ask Carmen about the doorbell, maybe it was something that I could help with - showing that the person on the other side was still waiting and growing somewhat impatient.

When the nerves had subsided after a few seconds I continued to make my way towards the door.

I let go of the breath I didn't know I was holding before opening open the door for no more than an inch, just to see if my visitors seemed trustworthy. There were two men in front of me, both wearing matching shirts, telling me they were from the plumber company. The oldest man was looking slightly impatient and the younger one - possibly an intern - was carrying the toolbox.

"Hello there miss, we came by to check on the clogged pipe." The oldest man spoke.

I nodded my head slightly not entirely sure what he was talking about. "Let me get someone," I say softly before closing the door again, trying to take deep breaths to calm my nerves down, while I walked towards Carmen and Eleazar's bedroom.

I knocked softly on their bedroom door. As I waited I started to bite on my nail, a bad habit. One I had picked up because my nails were always a broken mess.

"There are two men at the door, they're coming for something I guess," I whispered, hoping that I wouldn't wake Eleazar too.

The door opened and Carmen's head peaked around it.

"Oh, that's right. I forgot to tell you, they are coming for the clogged pipe in the spare bedroom, give me a second to change and I'll take it from here." Carmen smiled gently before shutting the door.

When I walked into the room I could see the sun peeking through my curtains telling me the day had officially started. I walked over towards the window and opened them to let the sun warm my face., a Allowing a cold breeze to strike my face. The air was a perfect combination of damp trees and morning sun. The ground was covered with fog hanging slightly above the ground. I stared out of my window enjoying the calmness of the morning. A bird flew by the window before landing in a tree close by and started to sing it's best song.

After a minute of listening I heard slight noises coming from the room down the hall, conforming they had started the work. I turned back towards the room, after which I took a few steps toward my bed and started to make it.

When I was done I picked up an old book from my nightstand and seated myself in the old chair by the window.

After reading two chapters and twenty later, I walked over to the wardrobe. It didn't contain much; just a few things Carmen had gotten me those past few weeks. When I opened the door, I let my eyes scan past its shelves. I noticed a pair of shorts and a stained t-shirt at the bottom of the wardrobe. I let my fingers roam past the shirt ever so slightly. I didn't know why, but sorrow filled my heart.

I dropped my hand and looked at one of the other shelves. I picked a plane grey V-neck with long sleeves and a pair of jeans as well as some clean underwear and some socks.

When I entered the bathroom I could hear the men leaving, shortly followed by a starting engine.

I put everything down on the edge of the bath and started to fill the sink with some water. Since the men were still working the hot water wasn't running. Once the sink was filled I took my washcloth and started to wash myself.

After I had put on some deodorant I dressed myself before focusing on my hair while the term bird nest suited it better.

I took the tangle teezer to brush my hair. Carmen had gotten it for me just a few days after she took me in. She had figured out that my hair was a total disaster and couldn't be tamed after a night sleep. When I was finished I put some mascara on my lashes and threw my hair in a simple ponytail.

I made my way down once again. When I entered the kitchen Carmen was sitting at the table while holding a cup of tea in both hands. At the sound of me entering she looked up and smiled at me.

I smiled in return before asking, "Did everything go alright?"

Carmen nodded her head. "Yes, they fixed the problem immediately."

"Oh that is great," I said and I walked over to the counter were the toast from that morning was left abandoned. I decided not to waste any bread and toasted the same slice of bread for the second time.

When I was done toasting my bread I started to butter it. I walked over to the table and took the seat across form Carmen.

I took a few bites in silence, while Carmen did the crossword at the back of the newspaper. After a few minutes she looked at me. "Do you have any plans today?" and she smiled lightly at me.

I shook my head. "No but I would like to go out and maybe have a stroll or I can help with some errands."

Carmen still wore a small smile. "Well that would be a great help actually, I still have a ton of work to do." She said. "Maybe you could go to the store to pick up some groceries. We are running short on milk and eggs and a few other things."

I smiled widely, excited and terrified at the same time, happy to get out of the house and to get some fresh air, but still, what if _they_ had tracked me down here. "That would be alright," I said softly.

Carmen then stood up. "Let me make a list of the things I need, and don't be modest, dear. If you need something, you are free to buy it." And she walked towards the counter and picked up a notebook. She mumbled to herself while she started to make a shopping list. "Milk, eggs, butter, bread, salt, carrots." After which the words faded into the air.

When I finished my breakfast I put on my coat and walked out the door. Shopping list and bag ready as well as some money.

**X**

Moronic – the only word I could find to even remotely describe myself this very moment. Completely lost I stared at the crumbled piece of paper in the palm of my hand, trying to find something that looked even the least bit familiar in the street I was standing in – unfortunately rather unsuccessful. Not that I ever expected otherwise, since the last time I was in town was and would always be known as _That Day._ Honestly, it still felt as my world could crumble down at any minute, causing me to glance over my shoulder every now and then, making sure _he _hadn't appeared behind me.

However, I had noticed how busy Carmen had been lately, so I - foolishly - offered to take up some of her chores, one of them including buying groceries. It seemed like the least I could do after all she and her husband had done for me the past few weeks. I owed them my life; so buying food should be manageable - if I could find the bloody store of course. The directions they had given me might as well have been written in Chinese, with my sense of orientation.

Softly I sighed, looking around me as I just kept walking without the slightest idea of where I was going. Forks wasn't that big though, so I figured I'd end up right eventually, if I just kept going long enough. And - though hard to forget the sense of fear running through my veins - it kind of felt nice seeing the small town for a moment, especially as I passed through a small park filled with laughter of the children playing on the small playground.

It contained but a slide, some swings and a sandbox that had seen the best of its time, yet it seemed as if it was enough for them.

Suddenly my train of thoughts was roughly interrupted, as a tiny human bumped into me and just as quickly fell down. For a few seconds I stood there frozen, as I examined the little girl in front of me - thinking what sort of response would be appropriate in this sort of situation.

I was afraid she'd yell, tell me to get out of the way or start crying, something which I would've done when I was her age. This; knowing my mother would come running and would find a way to make me feel better within a few seconds - most of the time in the form of tickles, hugs or cookies, all of which I adored. However, she did neither of those things. She just got up, tried to get the wrinkles out of her ivy-blue dress and rosy-red coat and looked at me with a bright smile, that caused dimples to appear in her cheeks.

"I'm really sorry, miss!" she exclaimed, as she curled her little finger around a lock of her short, oaky hair. "Are you okay?" Her bright green eyes stared at me worriedly, yet I felt paralyzed – just standing there incapable of making even the smallest movement. Before I even realized it, another gentleman came running towards her, carrying the same caring look – towards the small human being before me though.

"Alice!" he said and immediately kneeled before her, checking if she was truly all right. Within a few seconds, a bright, charming smile appeared on his face, as he rubbed a bit of sand of her dress and coat. "Perhaps a bit more careful next time, Princess?" he asked her with a twinkle of amusement in his eyes, especially when she let out a soft giggle and nodded enthusiastically. He shook his head and chuckled, just to turn her around by her shoulders and sent her on her way to the playground. "Don't go too far, I want to be able to see you at every moment - okay?"

"Okay!" she yelled, though her attention was long drawn to the slide, on which she climbed over and over again. Something apparently never started to bore her, to my great surprise. In the meantime the young man had straightened his back again, his green eyes now solely focused on me. His face seemed familiar in a way, but I was sure I had never met the person before me.

Suddenly I realized I still hadn't said a single word, making the fact he had reached out his hand towards me even more awkward. For a second I simply stared at it, not really sure if I should take it - but then I loosely shook his hand, after which I let my hand hang beside me again. I hated these little social interactions, especially since they were completely strange to me.

"Edward," he said with a charming smile, revealing his perfect, white teeth.

"Oh," I replied to him and looked around me, searching for a way to escape from this terribly uncomfortable situation.

His eyes showed me confusion, immediately making me wonder if I had done something wrong - yet his smile remained the same. "And your name is…?" he continued, letting out a soft chuckle. _Idiot_, I thought to myself. I should've known that's what he wanted. I felt the burn on my cheeks, knowing - to my regret - my face had turned bright red once again. I was just hoping he wouldn't notice.

"Be-" I begun, yet stopped in the middle, suddenly overcome with the anxiety I had known my entire life. Did I want him to know my name? There could be pure evil hiding by that misleading handsomeness and his adorable kid. When I noticed he was still staring at me, more confused than before, I suddenly got way more nervous than I could handle. _Tell him a name, Bella. Anything. _"Becka." I tried to look at him confidently, trying to hide my lie.

To my relief, he just raised one of the corners of his mouth into a crooked smile. "Becka," he repeated, "Suits you." I forced a friendly appearance - failing miserably, I thought. "It's nice to meet you, Becka. I'm really sorry for Alice. She can be a little wild sometimes, but she really is a sweetheart. Just a little, wild. You know, kids - right?"

I nodded, doubting if I should speak. "Don't worry about it, it's nothing, really," I mumbled. "She's pretty adorable. She has your eyes. How old is your daughter?"

He raised an eyebrow, as if he was wondering if I meant what I just said. "You- you think she's my daughter?" he asked, while sniggering in disbelief. "Alice is my little sister, Becka. How old do you think I am?" Crap. He did look a little young.

"Crap, I'm sorry!" I exclaimed nervously, full of shame. "Guessing someone's age never has been one of my talents."

"It's alright," he assured me, "She's 4 - 5 in a few weeks. And I'm 23, by the way." If he's 23, it really wasn't that dramatic of me to think he could've been her father, right?

"Oh," I mumbled once more.

"Oh," he repeated, with a teasing twinkle in his eyes, making me blush even more. I wasn't sure whether I liked it, though.

"Edward!" Suddenly our attention was drawn to the little girl in the ivy blue dress - Alice - who was climbing onto one of the swings. "Will you push me? Pleaaaase?"

He laughed and waved at her. "Be there in a sec, Alice," he yelled and turned to me one final time. "It was nice meeting you, Becka. Alice should run into you more often, I believe. I'm looking forward to our next. . . rendez-vous."

"Uhm, yeah. Okay," I said and quickly turned around, not wanting to drag on the awkward situation any more than it should. When I looked over my shoulder, I noticed his eyes still following me, after which he hurried himself to his little sister.

Still not sure what exactly happened - nor how I felt about it - I kept walking. To my luck, it now only took me a few minutes to find the little supermarket in the middle of Forks. Not really sure how I missed it before, but let's forget about that. I made my way into the story, taking the crumbled up list out of my pocket and loaded various items into my basket. _Milk, eggs, bread, raspberries_ and so on.

"Bella! Bella!" The loud, buldering voice made me cringe, causing me to drop my full basket loudly to the ground. Damn it. _It's over, they found me._

* * *

_Hope you enjoyed this chapter, leave a review if you feel like it they are very much __appreciated!_

_Hugsss xoxo_


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